WINTER PARK, Fla. (February 1, 2026) – Rollins men's lacrosse opened the 2026 season in dominant fashion on a chilly Sunday afternoon, taking down Florida Southern, 12–5, at Cahall-Sandspur Field.
The Tars struck first early in the opening quarter, as
Nate Paulo finished a look from
Logan Myers to put Rollins on the board just under two minutes in. Florida Southern answered moments later to even things up. Both teams managed strong defensive possessions, with FSC next to capitalize with a goal midway through the quarter, followed by another a couple of minutes later to take a 3-1 lead. Both teams found good looks, but the defense and goalkeepers stood up to scoring efforts, making that the score after one.
Rollins took command in the second quarter, opening the period with a quick unassisted tally from
Logan McHugh in the first possession. On the other end,
Charlie Metz helped force a turnover, with Jack McCallum picking up the ground ball to clear the way for Paulo to score the equalizer. Following a Florida Southern response, the Tars went on a decisive run, converting on multiple extra-man opportunities. Paulo and
Aaron Williams each buried a man-up goal in the span of two minutes, while Connor Sweeney added an unassisted finish to stretch the lead. Paulo tagged one more by himself with
Sean Caracciolo earning an unassisted one of his own to close out scoring in the quarter, giving Rollins a commanding 8-4 advantage at half.
The momentum continued after the break as Rollins'
Brady Greco won the opening faceoff of the third quarter, and the physicality of the game began to increase. A turnover caused by
Jacob Herrick led the way for Metz to pick it up, converting on the other end to add another. An empty possession both ways saw the ball back with Rollins, Paulo finding McHugh for his second goal of the day. The defense continued to force miscues from the Mocs, as McHugh struck again with just under four minutes left in the quarter. Another faceoff won by Greco gave the Tars another possession, Metz converting on the pass from Williams to push the advantage. Missed shots and turnovers alongside a costly penalty from the Mocs kept momentum on the side of the Blue and Gold as the Tars carried a 10–4 lead into the final 15 minutes.
The fourth quarter saw Rollins maintain control on both ends of the field, forcing five turnovers while tallying 10 shots in the frame. The Tars continued to get good looks on offense, the FSC goalie posting several incredible saves to keep it scoreless. Florida Southern found one late goal in the closing seconds, but the outcome was well in hand as Rollins closed out the 12–5 victory.
Rollins' offense was balanced throughout the afternoon, highlighted by multi-goal performances from McHugh (3), Metz (2), and Paulo (4) alongside multiple assists from Williams (2) and Myers (2), while the Tars' defensive unit limited Florida Southern to just five goals on the day and forced 18 turnovers.
The Tars start the season 1-0 while FSC falls to 0-1. Rollins returns to action next Saturday, February 7, when they travel to Melbourne to take on the Panthers of Florida Tech at 12 p.m.
